6-1-03 - Start the weekend skunked just to get it out of your system.

Rivers Fished: Paradise Springs
Fish Caught: 0
Outing Date: 6-6-03
Weather: Overcast
Air Temp: 60's
Water Temp: N/A
Water Level: normal
Water Color: Crystal
Fish Species: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout
Pattern Color: Anything tiny
Fishing Quality: :P

So here I am on my way to Iowa. I'm not going to get there in time to fish Friday night (it's about a 5 hour drive from Chicago). I might as well stop some place locally. Quarry Park? Hmm...that's a guaranteed 'bow or two. Bluff Creek? Maybe when I have more time to scope out more sections of the river. Wait a second...Paradise Springs. If I do it right I can maybe get one, and if I'm really like I can grand slam (brookie, brown & bow) early on and beat my brother (we have a bet going).

By the time I got there (probably about 7:45 pm) it was already getting pretty dark and the street lights were on. I held myself back from RUNNING to the springs. Upon arriving, I found another angler who was fishing.

One look into the pool and I was in for a bit of a shock...I couldn't see ANY fish below me. Well, I started casting farther out. I tried mostly small...meanwhile the other angler slammed a fair sized brown on what looked like a rapala.

By 8:30 it was really getting dark; I did sight the resident huge rainbow and a couple little brookies as well as one or two of the huge browns that cruise the bottom, but didn't get anything...not even a FOLLOW. Nothing was really going on surface-wise either. A game warden came up, checked my license...and well...after that I was out of tippet; would have to go back to get more anyways. So I called it a night, got my bearings, and started on the drive to Iowa. At least I've gotten my SKUNK out of the way for the weekend, right?

  MP